Science experiments for the classroom

Easy Science Experiments …for your classroom

Please enjoy these resources which will guide you in how to

carry out these fun and easy classroom experiments in your

classroom. These experiments are perfect for early years

teaching and most suitable for students ages 4 – 8.

For more classroom resources visit our EuroSTEAM online

toolkit at www.eurosteamproject.eu

Science experiments for the classroom

Balloon vibrations

This experiment demonstrated how sounds are made by vibrations and uses

balloons to demonstrate this. This experiment can get noise so best not do this

first thing in the morning!

Instructions Blow up a balloon and tie it off.

Have the students in pairs and get one student to hold the balloon up to their ear and get

another student to talk through the other side of the balloon with their lips against it.

Ask the student that is listening what they hear and feel!

Another task is to put a small lug nut into a balloon then blow it up and tie it off.

Gently twirl the balloon in a circular motion and listen for the banshee sound.

The science Your voice is causing a vibration which is creating a sound wave. The sound wave travels

through the air to the balloon, through the balloon to the air inside the balloon, back through

the other side of the balloon, through the air again and into your partner’s ear.

You can hear the sound and feel the vibration through the balloon. Where do you feel it?

This is because sound is created by vibrations of molecules and the balloon demonstrates this

effect perfectly because you can actually feel the vibrations.

Extend Try this in different ways to see the end results.

e.g. try humming into the balloon, try filling the balloon up with water then repeating the

experiment.

Instead of using lug nuts for the screaming balloon, put a penny inside and see what effect

that will have!

Science experiments for the classroom

How plants drink

This experiment will visually show how plants drink and where they bring the

water to when they do drink. This is a good experiment which would be good in

an early years classroom!

Instructions Arrange a row of glasses and fill each with water. Now put some food colouring into each

glass making sure that each glass is a different colour.

Put a white flower or cabbage leaf into each glass and leave overnight.

Ask the students to record what they think will happen.

Inspect the flowers again the next day and see what has happened!

The science This one is simple, we all know that plants drink and absorb water and other nutrients

through their stems. This experiment uses the white of the flower and the bright colour of the

water to demonstrate exactly where the nutrients pass through the flowers!

Image: funlearningforkids.com

Science experiments for the classroom

Create your own flower

that will bloom like magic

This is a very easy craft experiment that is perfect for early years. This will visually show the students

how flowers bloom and let them test this effect on their very own, hand crafted flowers.

Instructions Allow the students to create draw their own flowers (or use a template) Make sure to

make the center of the flower fairly large while keeping the petals a similar size.

Let the students decorate the flowers in whatever way they think looks best.

Now fold the petals so that they all overlap each other in the middle.

Finally get a plate and put a small layer of water on the surface and drop the folded flower

onto this and the flower will bloom beautifully.

Science experiments for the classroom

The science When paper gets wet, it absorbs the water and swells. This swelling causes the first petal

to open and a chain reaction begins so that all petals will open. Unfortunately your flower

will wrinkle up in the water but it is still fascinating to watch.

If your flower doesn’t bloom, the folds in your petals have been done in a way that is

trapping the petal and not allowing it to open, just try again with another flower

Extend Try the same experiments with different shapes of flowers. Experiments with different

sizes of petals and different colours and see what effects can be achieved!

Science experiments for the classroom

Colourful experiment using food colouring, milk

and fairy liquid This is an experiment which shows reactions to the student in a fantastically visible way. This is

perfect for early years children to experiment with and is perfectly safe for them to do on their own.

Instructions Pour a layer of milk into a tray or dish.

Apply drops of food colouring around the dish closest to the centre should work the best.

Add some fairy liquid to a cotton bud and stick it in the centre of the bowl and leave it in,

watch the amazing effect as the milk and food colouring react to the addition of the fairy

liquid.

The science Milk contains fat and the food colouring sits on top of the fat in the beginning. These fats are

held together by bonds which are basically like the little bits of fat holding hands. The

application of fairy liquid makes the bonds in the fat separate and as the fat separates, the

milk moves and allows the colours to explode

Extend Let the students try different variations of colour in this to achieve some amazing results.

Also, if you want to make the colorful creations stand out a little bit more, add some

vinegar and baking soda to get an eruption of milk. Be careful with the mess however!

Image: coloringonline.com

Science experiments for the classroom

Rockets and explosions

This is an experiment that shows the chemical reaction between water, vinegar

and baking soda. This is very visual but better done outdoors!

Instructions First of all put ¼ cup of water and ½ cup of vinegar into a sealable lunch bag.

Put a few teaspoons of baking soda on a tissue and wrap it up. Now quickly place the

baking soda in the bag and seal. The bag will fill with air and maybe even make a small

explosion.

Now find an old film canister and put the same ingredients (in smaller proportions) into it

and place it on the ground. Make sure the students stand well back and watch as the film

canister takes off.

Let the students design their own rocket shapes around the film canister using various

materials and take them outside and let them launch it into space, with adult supervision

of course!

The science Baking soda and vinegar react with one another because they both have a lot of energy that

they don't want and they can help each other get rid of it! The energy that they get rid of

comes out as a gas and that gas is carbon dioxide. This fills up the canister and builds

pressure, as this pressure gets too much the film canister pops.

Science experiments for the classroom

Exploring Balance and centre

of gravity

In this science activity, kids will place two pennies in various locations on a paper robot

until they’ve discovered how to make the robot balance.

Instructions Simply cut out the balance bots (below) and give them to the students. Give the Students

2 pennys along with some blu-tac to stick them on and allow them to try to stick them on

in different places until they find the perfect spot to make the robots balance. This will be

at the end of the robots hands. Students can then decorate their robots in different ways to

customize their robot and show them to their friends!

Purpose Give them time to try out sticking the pennies to different parts of the robot to try to get

the robot to balance on their fingers. Watch them explore and discuss with their friends all

the various ideas they come up with! Many will figure it out on their own. For those that

don’t, you can show them the correct placement of the pennies or invite other students to

help them.

Once all the students have their balancing robots built correctly, let them explore

balancing the robot in different places.

Extend When the students have completed this, have them experiment with items from the

classroom to try and build their own balancing monster e.g. This is possible with a lolly

stick, pipe cleaner and 2 pegs.

See can the students experiment with these to work out the result!

Science experiments for the classroom

Science experiments for the classroom

What is the fizz in our

drinks? This is a very good experiment which demonstrated the physics of carbon dioxide in our fizzy drinks.

See how it can react with certain items or different weights and textures.

Instructions Pour some fizzy soda into a clear glass and explain to the students that the bubbles are the

carbon dioxide in the drink which rise up to get to the air so that they can be released

from the liquid.

Explain that this is why cans fizz when shaken, because the carbon dioxide bubbles are

trapped to the side of the can in large numbers and when the can is opened the large

amounts of carbon dioxide rise to the top to escape the liquid.

Test: shake a can and flick the side of the can several times around the outside to

release the carbon dioxide bubbles, open the can and it will not fizz up!

No that the students know what the fizz is, drop some items into the can to see how they

react with the carbon dioxide bubbles. Try the following items (works best with items of a

density slightly greater than the water):

Raisins, lentils, different shapes of pasta and whatever else you can find!

Record what happens to each item

The science Because the items above are slightly more dense than the water, the raisins will sink at the

beginning. However because the bubbles attach to the rough surface of the raisins, the

bubbles will raise the raisins to the top. When the raisins reach the top, the bubbles will

burst and the raisins will descend to the bottom of the glass again and the cycle will

continue.

This is a great visual way to demonstrate carbon dioxide in drinks

Science experiments for the classroom

Creating Goop This may just be the easiest, messiest, and most fun science activity. You should know that if you try

this experiment and you are not smiling and messy with corn starch goo at the end, then you are

definitely doing something wrong. Also keep in mind that this is not just about fun, there is some

pretty amazing science going on here.

Instructions This one is easy. All you need to do is mix some corn starch with water in a bowl or dish.

There are no precise measurements for this but a rough guide is to add 2 cups of corn

starch for every cup of water.

Different mixtures will result in different consistencies but they should all be fun!

Let the students just dig in and explore. Notice that the goo does not splash (or even

move) if you hit it quickly. Squeeze it hard and see what happens. How long can you get

the strands of goo to drip? What happens if you let the goo sit on the table for a minute

and then try to pick it up? How does it feel? How does it move? Try bouncing a ball on

the surface of the corn starch. You get the idea – explore!

The science The corn starch is made up of long chains of atoms - a polymer. These chains can move past each other, but they take some time to do this. If you pour it slowly, it can flow like a liquid. If you try to force things and make the chains slide more quickly than they want to, they get entangled - and the mixture gets firmer. So if you push hard on it, it acts more like a solid.

Important Warm water will very easily clean the corn starch however be careful NOT to pour it down the drain afterward as it can get trapped

Science experiments for the classroom

Liquid Densities This is a good way for students to learn about different liquid densities. Let the students explore by

pouring liquids of different densities into a jar or glass. They will be able to visibly see which liquids

are more dense (or more compact than others).

Instructions Have a look around the classroom or at home to see what

liquids you have which can be used for this experiment. Below

are some examples which will work well:

Water, Vegetable oil, Fairy liquid, vinegar, syrup, honey, milk

Challenge the students to see how many layers they can get in

their glass!

Image:mykidsadventures.com

The science Why do objects that are the same size sometimes have different weights? The answer has

to do with their density. An object's density is determined by comparing its mass to its

volume. If you compare a rock and a cork that are the same size (they have equal

volume), which is heavier? The rock is, because it has more mass. The rock is denser than

the cork, then, because it has more mass in the same volume - this is due to the atomic

structure of the elements, molecules, and compounds that make it up.

Liquids have density, too. You can perform several experiments with different types of

liquids to determine which is more dense.

Extend Drop different items into your liquids to see how they react. Some might float, some might sink and some might hover between the layers.

Science experiments for the classroom

Fireworks in a glass Using liquid densities we can perform this cool effect. Simply fill a glass up with water and

put a thin layer of oil onto the top of the water. Drop a drop of food colouring into the oil and

see what happens. Wait for a while to see the fireworks!

If this works for you, try dropping a few different drops of different colours in at the same

time.

Image: pinterest.com

Science experiments for the classroom

Exploring magnetism

This is a straight forward experiment which introduces a student to magnets and

helps them understand what is magnetic and what isn’t magnetic.

Instructions Attach a magnet onto the end of a piece of string creating a magnetic fishing rod.

Get a large container and fill it full of objects, some magnetic and some not magnetic.

Ask the student to tell you 1 object which they think is magnetic. When they have told

you the item, ask them to fish it out with the magnet and they will discover on their own

if it is magnetic or not.

Let the student inspect the items after to get an idea of what is magnetic and what isn’t.

The science

A magnet creates an invisible area of magnetism all around it called a magnetic field. The

size of the magnetic field is determined by the strength of the magnet. Magnetic fields can

penetrate through different items, not just air and can cause a pushing or pulling effect on

objects (depending on the magnet).

Extend Fill a large bottle up with magnetic objects, pipe cleaners are good for this. Allow the

students to play with the magnet and seeing the pull they can get through the wall of the

bottle. This will teach them about the size and distance of a magnetic field and will help

them experience this for themselves. This is perfect for early years as the colorful objects

can create some nice effects when being pulled around the bottle.

Try shaking the bottle while holding the magnet on the side!

Science experiments for the classroom

Show a never-ending pendulum effect using

simple items This experiment will demonstrate how pendulums work and also shows how the energy created by a

pendulum can be transferred.

Instructions Tie a length of string between 2 poles or objects so that it is dangling in the air.

Tie to separate pieces of string along the overhanging string so that there is a gap in

between.

Tie a slightly weighted object onto the end of the strings e.g. a tennis ball.

Now swing one of the tennis balls from side to side and watch the effect this will create!

The science The swinging object will slow down because the energy is being

stolen from it! The energy travels down the overhanging string

and passes it to the 2nd object. As this object speeds up the reverse

happens and so on.

You can have a little fun with this one by telling them you can

stop an object with their brain. Have them concentrate on the

swinging object and tell them to try and make it stop just by

thinking. When the object stops they will be amazed!

Feeling brave? In a pendulum, the energy output can never exceed the energy input. To test this, tie an

object e.g. a football onto a large piece of string or rope. If you stand to the side and let

the student bring the football as close to your face as possible and then let it go, the rope

will swing but will never come back as far as your face. Ensure the student doesn’t swing

the rope, simply lets it go.

This will test your nerves but will give the students a great thrill watching the football

come within centimeters of your face, but be brave, the ball will not have enough energy

to touch you provided you haven’t stepped forward!

Science experiments for the classroom

Plasma ball This experiment uses a plasma ball to show how electricity can be conducted. This is very visual but

is to be used as a demonstration with an adult showing the experiment to the students.

Instructions Set up the plasma ball and show the students how when you touch it the sparks will

become stronger where your finger is. This is because the electrons inside are always

trying to reach the ground and they can do this by passing through your body.

Now hold the fluorescent light up to the plasma ball and see what happens. Hold it in

different ways to see how the electricity is passing through you and where it is passing

through the light!

The science Inside the ball is a coil of wires that have a very high frequency current going through them.

This means the electrons in the wires are oscillating very quickly. This shakes the atoms

around the wires so hard that their electrons start to fall off and a plasma is formed! Inside the

glass globe is a partial vacuum. This just means that some of the air has been sucked out.

Because there is not as much air in there, it is easier to make electric sparks that can be seen.

When holding the lightbulb, the bulb will light at arm’s length because the electricity is

passing through your body to get to the ground. If you touch the light bulb closer to the

plasma bulb, less of the bulb will light up, this is because, once again, the electricity is

finding the quickest way to the ground and you have just created the quickest way by

touching the bulb

Extend Try various ways to light the bulb and see what works and what doesn’t work.

You can also set a coin on top of the plasma ball, now touch this coin with another coin to

see a spark of electricity. Be careful as the coin will heat up. You can also create a spark

by touching the centre of the coin on the top of the plasma ball but it will burn your finger

so be careful. DO NOT let the students attempt this, demonstration only!

Also, try to use your phone or tablet near the plasma ball to see what happens!

Science experiments for the classroom